Premier League to be a two-horse race again, insists Liverpool icon Souness

Manchester Metropolis and Liverpool will lead a two-horse race within the Premier League as soon as once more within the 2019-20 marketing campaign, Reds icon Graeme Souness believes.

Pep Guardiola’s Metropolis edged the Premier League title final time period, ending on 98 factors – only one greater than Liverpool – to defend their crown.

It was a outstanding marketing campaign, with Liverpool setting a brand new report factors complete for a aspect that completed second, their swashbuckling attacking model aided by a new-found defensive shrewdness impressed by Alisson and Virgil van Dijk.

Though the Reds received the Champions League, there was nonetheless an air of what may need been domestically, as they misplaced solely as soon as within the prime flight.

Liverpool additionally completed a whopping 27 factors forward of third-placed Chelsea and Souness doesn’t see anybody bridging the hole on this season.

Chatting with Omnisport at Brighton and Hove Delight on behalf of PaddyPower, Souness stated: “I feel they [Man City and Liverpool] confirmed final season they are a good bit forward of anybody else, each of them.

“Man United have clearly strengthened the place they wanted to, on the again. I suppose United can be hoping Harry Maguire ‘does a Virgil van Dijk’ and brings all of them alongside, makes everybody really feel higher about themselves and play higher.

“I feel Tottenham, they’ve spent a bit of cash, they have been a crew threatening for a couple of years now, they should make that leap.

“Arsenal I do not see difficult and Chelsea might have a troublesome 12 months. They’ve misplaced one of the best participant [Eden Hazard] within the Premier League of the final six or seven years.

“He is now gone and he was a scorer and supplier of objectives for Chelsea, they will miss him enormously and, given they’ve this switch embargo, I feel it will be a troublesome 12 months.

“I nonetheless see the large two, then the closest challengers as Spurs. However United, in the event that they get some momentum, they will take some stopping, as a result of you must settle for they are a very particular soccer membership and the help get behind them there.”

Liverpool’s pre-season has had its issues, as supervisor Jurgen Klopp has been with out quite a few key gamers attributable to worldwide competitions and so they received solely as soon as from matches in opposition to Lyon, Sevilla, Napoli, Borussia Dortmund and Sporting CP.

Up subsequent earlier than they get the brand new Premier League season began is the Group Defend in opposition to Metropolis, although Souness insists – win or lose – it is not going to be an indicator of how the season will unfold.

“The sport [on Sunday] just isn’t about who wins, it is about gamers getting by means of the sport, getting up to the mark for, in Liverpool’s case, their sport at dwelling to Norwich, Souness added.

“It is about getting them by means of the pre-season and to the primary day [of the campaign] – the primary day is every part.

“You consider Liverpool shedding it by one level final 12 months, I feel it will be these two [teams at the top] once more, it will be nip and tuck all the best way.

“Each single sport, each single level is essential, however Sunday just isn’t – when it comes to a consequence – essential.

“I am speaking from a supervisor’s perspective, saying that, as a participant you do not rock up at Wembley and never wish to win, you are bang at it. However the precedence is getting them that bit fitter.”

Graeme Souness was speaking to Omnisport on behalf of PaddyPower’s Come Out and Play marketing campaign and Proud United, a crew of LGBTQ footballers from throughout the UK working to sort out homophobia in soccer.